


I Know What You Did Last Night

by crazybooklover20



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Romance, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:48:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27971072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazybooklover20/pseuds/crazybooklover20
Summary: After the shenanigans Prime Earth Barry pulled on Earth-2, Iris has to convince her husband that she isn't in love with another man.
Relationships: Earth-2 Barry Allen/Earth-2 Iris West
Kudos: 8





	I Know What You Did Last Night

**Author's Note:**

> Fellow reader,  
> This was written at some point after 2 a.m. and revised very lightly. I feel like earth 2 Barry is a soft boi and detective Iris is the hard ass. I dunno, I feel like the dynamic between them is cool so I wrote this.  
> I'm mostly dead inside so...good luck!!

A two-carat, deep sapphire gemstone, cushioned in a rose gold halo setting. An expensive, ethically sourced engagement ring. Iris didn’t wear it often for fear of losing her priceless jewellery or worse, damaging it in the field. Instead, she often wore the gold band that currently sat on her third finger. Inscribed on the inside was the sound wave of Barry Allen’s voice, recorded a week before their wedding ceremony.

The elder man behind the glass counter had been sweet, smiling intently at the couple before him.

“Do you know what you’d like to say?” He asked.

Barry nodded, his cheeks flushed red. Iris could tell he was nervous, his fingers were fidgeting at his side.

“I figured I’d keep it short and simple,” he said, turning to his fiancée.

Iris stared up at the man who’d soon become her husband. The best man she’d ever known, aside from her father. She took his shaky hand in hers and smirked.

“Don’t mess this up Allen,” she teased, painting his cheeks a darker shade of crimson.

He cleared his throat, his eyes never wavering from hers.

“I’m yours. Now and always.”

The elder man nodded in approval. “Short. Concise. I like it.”

Iris’s lips curved up further, her entangled fingers squeezing his. “Me too.”

Iris glanced down at her ring, twirling the band. She’d been sitting in her car for the past two minutes, gathering the courage necessary to head inside the house. She was aware that Barry would be waiting for her, perhaps in the living room on the sofa or at the dining room table. Maybe even upstairs in their bed. But facing him after the argument they shared in her office caused her heart to slam violently against the wall of her chest.

It wasn’t so much the argument that had Iris shaken—in the two years they’d been married, they’d argued more times than she cared to count—it was rather, the expression he wore as he stormed out of the office, slamming the door as he went. Her partner Lawton poked out his head from behind his desk, his eyes round with curiosity. She’d been speechless then and she was speechless now.

Iris turned off the ignition and glanced in the rearview mirror. There were worry lines etched into her swarthy skin, ageing her beyond her twenty-eight years. Her eyes drooped under the pressure of pulling an all-nighter and she hadn’t been able to shake the frown that pulled her lips towards her weathered heart. She looked sad, she remarked. And she couldn’t chalk up her dejection to her marital spat though, she wished that was the only thing on her mind. But losing her father only forty-eight hours ago had plagued her with a grief that steeped her soul in sorrow.

Iris tore her eyes away from the mirror and pushed open the door. Rain poured over her, soaking Iris in the twenty seconds it took for her to reach the front porch.

She unlocked the door and ducked inside, careful to keep her rain soaked clothes from wetting the hardwood floor.

Like so many nights before, Iris shrugged out of her jacket, laid her keys on the side table right next to her strap. She double checked the safety and then slid her piece into the drawer. Then she stepped out of her heeled boots, placing them on the shoe rack. As she straightened, she caught Barry standing in the arch way.

He had changed for the night, wearing an old grey t-shirt and a ratty pair of boxers. Iris loved this Barry the most. His at home persona was calmer, more relaxed. The sight of him almost eased some of her worry. Almost.

Tonight, he held a glass of scotch in his hand. Barry didn’t drink often; he was too much of a lightweight to properly enjoy himself. But tonight, wasn’t like any other night.

The couple faced off, one waiting for the other to make the first move. Barry closed the distance between them, stationing himself on the staircase, the glass dangling from his fingertips.

The silence continued, stretching out like an inflated jumbo elephant. She couldn’t stand it, the silence. At the West-Allen household, silence meant trouble.

“Barry, I know you’re upset but I don’t want to fight.”

He nodded, placing his chin in the crook of his thumb, his forefinger rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.

“You are, by far, the very best the CCPD has to offer. I know I’m biased but even if I wasn’t your husband, objectively, you are one of the greatest detectives on the force. You are so sharp, Iris. I’ve seen you pick up on the littlest of details, the smallest of hints, truly, it blows me away. So, I’m having a hard time reasoning the notion that you didn’t know he wasn’t me. We’re doppelgängers, I understand that. And if it were _anybody_ else, I wouldn’t blame them for missing the clues. But you? I…” he sighed, before taking another swig of scotch. “I need to know the truth. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t know.”

Iris’s heart hammered in her chest, so forcibly she wondered if he could make out the erratic beats from where he sat. But she remained composed, a trick she’d picked up after years of training.

“Does it matter? Honestly, Barry, he’s gone—probably never to return so why can’t we drop this? Please, can we just go to bed?”

Barry topped off his glass and placed it on the step next to him. His eyebrows were bunched together in a way that Iris couldn’t discern. Was it apprehension? Indignation? Disbelief?

She was usually so good at reading other people, it was her superpower. And now when she needed it the most, it was nowhere to be found.

“Does it matter? Do you remember when we stood up in front of all of our friends and family and vowed to be truthful, to be faithful until death do us part? You remember?”

Iris scoffed. “Of course.”

“Well, I hope that still stands true. So I’ll ask again, did you know?”

Avoiding wasn’t working but Iris didn’t possess the emotional wherewithal to handle the situation any better. Instead, she resorted to a tactic that would probably haunt her for years to come.

“My father just died! My whole world was thrown into a tailspin. So yeah, there are a few things I wasn’t paying attention to.”

That got to him. Barry ran a hand roughly through his bronze hair, tugging at the ends as if to pull it all out. Iris always teased that if he did it too often, he’d be completely bald by thirty.

“I can’t imagine,” he shook his head in dismay. “Losing a parent, especially in that way. Iris, I’m so sorry for that. Joseph—Joe was a good man.”

Hearing his name pierced her shattered spirit, destroying her resolve. Tears she’d been saving since the hospital, sprung into her eyes, threatening to fall.

“Is it really so hard to believe that I just want to wash up and go to bed?”

He flinched at her brittle voice. Barry could never handle Iris’s tears, often leading him to break down himself. But when he faced her, though his eyes were lit with sympathy, there was also an adamance there. Iris knew then that he wouldn’t let this one go.

“We will and I’ll even make you a cup of decaf tea if you want. But please Iris, don’t make me ask again.”

Her lips folded at his stubbornness and Iris wondered for the first time since meeting Barry, if she was at risk of losing him. The mere thought alone gutted her insides and blackened her soul.

“Barry I…” She trailed off, searching for the right words.

“Did…You…Know?”

His tone had taken a drastic turn, sharpened with the edge of a steel cut razor. It punched the air from Iris’s lungs, her skin tingling with dread.

He’d never taken this tone with her before.

“I didn’t,” she gasped as tears splashed onto her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them. “Not until he told me.”

The confession sat heavily on her chest, and Iris was sure that she was suffocating.

“You never suspected?”

Tears leaked from her eyes with incessant fervor. No matter how many times she blinked, she could hardly see him.

“Answer the question.”

“Yes.”

The word came out with no sound at all, just an airy exclaim that tasted of betrayal.

“Should I even ask…” his voice low and tortured. “Do I even want to know…what happened between you two last night?”

Iris walked towards her husband, crouching down below him. She wiped her reddened eyes as she looked up at the only man she’d ever loved.

“I love you. I love _only_ you. Nothing and no one could ever change that. After all this time, you have to know that!”

Through her own tears, she could see his. Her hand came up to the side of his face, cupping his dampened cheek. She felt his trembling lips press into her palm, the first kiss he’d given her all evening.

“I love you, Iris. More than the number of stars in our galaxy.”

Relief washed over Iris and she lowered her head, a sorrow-laden smile tugging at her lips. With her eyes downcast, Barry place a finger under her chin, raising her head towards his once more.

“Which is why I need to know.”

She shook her head, pulling away from him. She wouldn’t participate in letting him break his own heart. Iris stood on shaky feet and began to trudge upstairs. She half-expected Barry to try and stop her, but he didn’t protest.

Once inside their bedroom, Iris began to undress. She slid out of her button down and wiggled out of her slacks. She unhooked her bra and thew it in the hamper. Iris couldn’t be bothered to shower, too drained from her long day.

She grabbed a t-shirt, one of Barry’s of course, and went to the bathroom to wash off her makeup.

Once her face was clean and her teeth were brushed, Iris climbed into their bed. Barry stood in the doorjamb watching her.

“Are you coming to bed?” She asked him, rubbing in her night serum.

Barry shook his head. “I won’t be able to get any sleep anyway.”

Frustration poured over Iris. Why couldn’t he just let this go?

“So you’re going to stay up all night and still go in tomorrow morning?”

He shook his head again. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“The couch?” She repeated, mystified.

“Yeah, that should give you enough time to come up with an answer.”

He began to back away from the door. Iris bounced onto her knees.

“You’re being ridiculous! Really, Barry?”

He froze, the muscles in his back tensed. It took Iris only a few seconds to realize that she’d undoubtedly said the wrong thing.

“I’m being ridiculous?” He asked as he spun on his heel, marching into the room. He ripped off his glasses, his face was the colour of a ripe tomato.

“Is it really ridiculous that as my wife I expect you to know the difference between me and another man? Is it ridiculous for me to think that you wouldn’t hook up with a stranger in our bed? Am I being too RIDICULOUS for you Iris?”

She pressed herself against the tufted headboard as he yelled, eyes wide, hands fisted.

“I asked you a simple question and you couldn’t even look me in the eye when you answered. We’re supposed to be partners right but then you lied to me.”

Iris leaned forward. “I _never_ lied!”

Barry scoffed, throwing his hands up in the air. “Of course, sorry. No, you cheated!”

There was the word. He’d been sitting on it since he'd left her office. It smacked Iris in the face. She leaned further, practically pressing her nose against his. For a split second she wanted to hurt him, return the jab he'd doled with vehemence. She could have done it, torn him down in the same manner he had but something held her back. Be it the love she held for him or the humanity instilled in her by her father, but Iris reigned in her anger just enough not to go off the deep end. 

“No, I didn’t cheat on you. When he kissed me, I thought it was you! When he touched me, I thought it was you! How could I possibly envision that a man that looks identical to you, is someone else? Barry spare me the bullshit, get into the fucking bed!”

The pulsing blood vessel in his forehead looked about ready to pop and Iris questioned if she pushed him too far. Could this be the beginning of their end?

He shoved the words through clenched teeth. “I will lay this to rest but only if you tell me the truth. No dodging the question, no bullshit. Did you sleep with him?”

Iris almost laughed. It was laughable, the idea that she could willingly, consciously do that to him.

“Bartholomew Henry Allen, I did not fuck your doppelgänger.”

And it was like he’d been pricked with a pin, all of the air rushed out of him at once. Deflated and spent, he fell onto the bed next to her.

“I’m sorry Iris.”

She leaned back against the headboard, bringing her knees to her chin. Barry adjusted himself next to her, staring up at the ceiling.

“I didn’t mean to be a dick, it’s just…the idea of another guy even kissing you…I got in my head.”

Iris huffed. "He isn't really just another guy though. He's you, just from another earth." 

Barry practically shuddered at her words. "There is no comparison to be drawn between him and I. He clearly has no regard for basic curtesy. Showing up here uninvited and locking me in a broom closet! And then zipping around the city whilst impersonating me. The way I oughta teach that...nitwit a lesson on common decency." 

His vigour curved Iris's mouth into a smile. Whatever would she do without her loveable, dorky husband? Iris reach over and wove her fingers in his hair, gently messaging his head, hoping to ease some of that animosity.

"He is something else, isn't he," she mused. 

"Honestly if he never comes back it'll be too soon." 

A curt laugh escaped before Iris had the chance to suppress it. Only Barry could be in a position to be jealous of himself. But knowing how he felt, a dollop of guilt had been eating away at Iris since the night before. She'd decided to tell him at some point and now that he was calm—well, calmer, she figured no better time than the present. 

“If I tell you the truth, do you promise not to lose your mind?”

He tore his gaze from the ceiling to look at her, his eyes inquisitive.

“Is it a truth that’s going to make me lose my mind?”

Iris continued to stroke his head. “I hope not. I really don’t want you to go to bed angry with me.”

Barry took in a deep breath, facing towards her. “Give it to me straight.”

Iris chewed her bottom lip, trying to formulate the words in her brain in an order that would reduce the potential impact. 

“Last night, he showed up I think to check on me. I was heartbroken and he provided a shoulder to cry on. And because I thought it was you, I-I tried to take my mind off things with… well you know. And nothing happened, clothes stayed on but there was some…fondling.”

Iris held her breath as she waited for Barry’s response. A part of her was terrified that he’d deem her an adulterous skank and leave. He had been right; after standing in front of all their friends and family and pledging her devotion to him, he at the very least, deserved to know the whole truth.

“I’m not thrilled but I can understand. You were vulnerable and he took advantage—

Iris shook her head, pulling her hand from his hair. She rolled over, throwing a leg over his, her hand drawing up his chest.

“Don’t do that. Don’t paint me as the victim. I initiated it. He was the one to pull back.”

“Okay.”

Iris peeked up at her husband. “Are you still mad?”

He shook his head. “I think I was always pissed at him but since he’s not here, I took it out on you.”

Iris nuzzled her nose into his shoulder. “Not your finest moment.”

He chuckled. “Don’t let this go to your head detective West but you’re a catch. I have to make clear my staked claim or these other guys will bust down the front door and steal you away from me.”

Iris swatted his chest, laughing. “Shut up.”

Barry rose his hand. “I’m serious.”

“Well, you never have to worry because I, Iris West-Allen, do solemnly swear to never be fooled into hooking up with any of your doppelgängers for as long as we both shall live.”

That pulled a hearty chuckle from him. Barry brushed his fingers along her shoulder. “Now there’s a sentence that hasn’t been uttered twice.”

Iris shifted, pushing herself further until she was straddling her husband. She bent down, close enough to make out the pattern of his irises in the dimly lit room.

“Since you’re not planning to leave me anymore maybe—

Barry snaked his arm around Iris, flipping her over in one fluid motion. Now on her back, she stared up at him, feigning irritation. “I was saying something.”

He dipped his head down, capturing her lips with his. His mouth was firm, persistent and Iris sighed inwardly, ravenous from the lack of contact. His tongue greeted hers with a fierceness, tasting vaguely of scotch.

“Let me make myself clear, I was never nor will I ever, plan to leave you,” he professed, his voice growing deeper.

Her back arched up from the mattress, straining towards his awaiting hands. “You say that now. Wait until I'm greyed and wrinkly." 

Barry paused, his lips pulling away from the base of her neck. "I can't wait to grow old with you." A gentle stroke of his fingers brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes. Iris's heart swelled as she gazed ardently up at him. Her hand cupped his, holding it to her cheek. 

"You promise? Even when gravity inevitably ruins my boobs or my skin loses its elasticity and gets all droopy?" 

Pushing away the fabric to gain better access, Barry trailed whisper soft kisses along her collar bone. He made his way up, reaching the edge of her jaw. "Even then." 

A prickle in her nose indicated tears were imminent. Iris didn't mind in the least because they were tears of contentment. A reminder that Iris was both fortunate and grateful that she had a man like Barry to hold onto. And though her life would always be far from perfect, she was certain that he was the one constant she could rely on. Her gaze travelled to the ring that sat comfortably on her fourth finger. 

"Well in that case," she replied coyly, her hands travelling southbound towards his waistband. 

Barry beamed down at his wife as he spread her legs. "Your memory is waning Iris but let me remind you; I'm yours. Now and always."


End file.
